What I think has drawn people to the Soulsborne series (affectionately named by its fans for the Dark Souls series, Demon’s Souls, and Bloodborne, collectively) and evolves to obsession for many of us, is the experience the games provide. Not the story. Not the gameplay. But the totality of all of the games’ collective parts.

For anyone who is not a gamer (or game designer, for that matter), I’ve heard it said that the highest point in the art of game design, the greatest achievement a game can make, is to seamlessly integrate all of its parts into a complete experience for the player. Like reading a book or watching a film, you never once want the game to feel disjointed, a part of it forced or out of place; the suspension of disbelief should never be broken. And having been a gamer all of my life, and speaking as someone with a bit of amateur experience and classes in game design, I can honestly say I have never played a game or series which has achieved this so (near) perfectly. Read more… ›

http://patreon.com/jmdesantis

Today is an exciting day for me, though (to be honest) it’s also a bit terrifying because today I’ve officially launched my new Patreon page!

For a long time now I’ve toyed with the idea of crowdfunding, drawn by its potential to help fund personal, independent projects. As it is, personal, independent projects have been a major part of my career as a writer and artist, yet I’ve never been certain if I could carry a campaign all on my own. But then, over a year ago, I became aware of Patreon. Read more… ›

The New York Comic Con is just two weeks away (I know, it seems early to me this year too). Amidst a busy schedule, I’ve been trying to get a number of things ready for the biggest show I do all year (and usually the one I end the year on–though next year I’m debating changing that a bit by adding some new shows). Already I had a few things planned, but my experiences in Boston and Baltimore this year got me thinking about a few additional things I want to add to that already extensive list of projects. Read more… ›